Chris and the Handicapped

Chris Hanley was always one to make fun of others. He saw it as an opportunity. He thought he was perfect and that he could do anything. He was 17 years old and played every sport there was offered at his school. He had the perfect life.

There was one thing in particular that Chris liked to make fun of more than anything; making fun of handicapped people. Whenever he saw someone that couldn’t walk right, he’d mock the way they walked, in a wheelchair he’d sit in a chair, if one was by him, and laugh, and when people couldn’t talk right he’d start talking like them and laugh.

This is what got him to be so popular. If you acted the right way and didn’t care about others, you’d get into all these Clichy groups.

It was Friday and Chris was awaiting the weekend. He and some friends were going to go to a party at a house. He got out of bed and it was half past 7.

“Chris!” called his mother from downstairs, “You’re going to be late for school if you don’t hurry up!”

“Mom, calm down, I’m fine. I’m out of bed and getting ready.”

He went into the bathroom to get ready.

“No time for a shower today.” He muttered as we walked in.

He looked in the mirror and turned this sink on. He had the perfect looks. Brown hair, green eyes, perfect teeth with a killer smile. He cupped his hands and put them in the water and washed his face. His hair wasn’t that long, some compared it to Justin Bieber’s old haircut and he hated that more than anything.

He finished up in the bathroom and got dressed and headed down stairs.

“Chris, it’s almost 8, you’re going to be late.” His mom sat at the buffet in the kitchen reading the paper and drinking coffee.

“No I’m not. I’m leaving right now. It takes me 10 minutes to get to school. I’ll be there just in time.” He grabbed an apple and headed for the door.

“I want you home after school today, you hear me?”

“Yes mom. But tomorrow I’m going to a party.” He opened the door and walked out fast enough so his mom couldn’t respond.

He got in his car, started it, and off he went. He arrived at school about 5 minutes before school started. This weekend was it. He thought. There’s just a month left until I graduate and this will be one of the last memorable things for me in High School. He went into the school and headed to his locker to grab his books so that he could endure this boring day. Civics was first period and the only class that he liked. All the others could not even have existed for all he cared. The best part of his day was first period and then it all got bad.

The bell rang and he went to class and sat in his chair that he’d had all year long. He had the desk that was five rows from the window and two from the front. The second bell went off right as he sat down in his desk and people started flooding in the door.

“Hey, Chris, we still on this weekend?” His best friend Aaron had asked him. He had the seat right next to him and loved to bug him all during class. Whether it was having him pass notes to girls or just wanting to talk, he was the guy to get you in trouble.

“Yea, it’s all good. Can’t do anything tonight though.”

“What, why?”

“Mom wants me home right after school. Don’t know why.”

Then a voice interrupted them. “Good Morning class.” It was their teacher.

“Good Morning Mr. Ray,” The whole class responded to him.

“Ok, class. I want you all to turn to page 546 and read the chapter. That’s all today. No talking.” As he said this he looked at Chris and Aaron. “Just reading today. Let’s see if we can all do that, shall we?”

Chris opened up his book to page 546 and started to read. Aaron started in about 10 minutes into class.

“Psst, psst! Chris!” He said in a whisper. After Chris didn’t reply he started wadding up paper and throwing at him. “Chris!”

After a few minutes Chris gave in. “Would you stop it?!” He said this a little louder than he should have.

“Mr. Hanley, what did I say? No talking. One more time and I’ll send you to the office.”

“Yes, Mr. Ray.” Chris looked over at Aaron and he was reading his book. How come he never got in trouble? It was always him.

Class was finally over and Chris went to his locker to get his Pre-Calculus book. He went to class and was glad he didn’t have any more classes with Aaron this rest of the day. After 6 hours of boredom school was finally over. Chris went to his locker, grabbed the books that he needed for homework and headed to the parking lot.

His group was sitting on hoods of cars talking away. “Hey guys.”

“Chris, hey! All ready for tomorrow night?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. But nothing tonight. I’ll see you guys tomorrow afternoon. Pick me up at my place at noon.”

“Nothing tonight? That sucks.” “Yea I know I-” When he saw a bus pulling in he stopped talking and a faint grin lined his face. “Well, well, well look what we have here.” It was the handicapped bus coming to pick up students. Chris walked over to the bus and the kids, well they’re not really kids, started to come out of the school. “Hey guys, how’s it today?” “H-hey C-C-Chris. I-I’m g-good. H-h-how are y-you?” This was a girl that had autism. She couldn’t talk the best and Chris loved making fun of her especially. “O-oh I-I’m d-d-doing g-good.” From behind Chris could hear the laughing of his friends so he kept it up. “Th-that’s g-g-good. W-well I-I h-have t-t-to g-go n-now.” Her name was Kelly and she was a sophomore. “O-ok, b-bye” “Bye!” Poor Kelly. She had no idea that Chris was making fun of her. She thought he was being nice. Chris walked away laughing and went over to his friends. “Ok, well I really do have to go now. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Chris walked over to his car and got in it. He had one of the nicest cars here at the school; a 2010 mustang in a flashy red. All the girls loved it. As he was pulling out he was so pre-occupied in his own thoughts that he wasn’t paying attention to anything around him, including the pickup that was coming from the left. He pulled out and was hit. The pickup hit the middle of his car sending him flying out. When he hit the pavement he went un-conscious.

The next thing he knew he was lying in a bed that wasn’t his. He tried getting out but couldn’t, his legs wouldn’t move. He looked around and saw his mom standing by the window looking out.

“Mom?”

She turned around and when she looked at him she started crying.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

She walked over to the bed he was on and sat down at the end. “Chris, when that vehicle hit you and you went flying out of your car, it did something to your legs.” “My legs? What? What’s wrong with them? Why can’t I move them?” “Honey, it paralyzed your legs. You can’t use them anymore.”

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